MechWarrior: Living Legends

 :o ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod  :o

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BattleTech_Center

MUST find one of these

Anyone know any more information on "a private site is rumored to be in the works for Australia" ?

_{Sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place but there isn't anywhere more suitable}

There's a Tesla pod setup in Houston at Dave & Busters. I only used it once but it was ok.

You'll find all the information you need, here: http://www.virtualworld.com

Yah, I went to the Chicago Battletech Center twice back when it was still around.  It was a lot of fun but a bit pricey.

Wow that thing is still there? I played on that like 10 years ago when I was in high school. Man I miss MW sims.

I thought the only pods left in Houston were at MechCorps (http://www.mechcorps.com/) located @ Track21 Indoor Karting.  I'll have to check the D&B next time I am in town. 

I love playing in the pods with all the hard switches and buttons for interacting with the mech. I think that adds a ton to the "realism". I am on a mission to build my own simulator cockpit to play at home.  I really want to make it for MechWarrior, but it doesn't look like I can get what I need out of the game. I need external data feeds for radar, heading, weapon load outs etc.  Until I find a way to get the data I think I am going to check out the FreeSpace Open community. Full source code for that game is available and I can write in what I need myself to build a nice cockpit for that game/sim.

Kyle

I was just at the Dave and Buster's in NY and I'm sorely disappointed that they didn't have one.

=(

No suprise there... New Yorkers and Californians get screwed over being correct and us Texans have all the fun. Guns, 2-stroke jetskis, and Tesla pods... ;D

They used to have the pods in the NY D&B.. actually all D&B's had them but they were sold some years back when D&B went under new management.. Some people bought the pods and started up Solaris Babylon (Babylon, NY) but just recently went under and sold their pods.. (At least that's how I think it happened)

With that said, there's a private site that runs them out of Jersey and have Friday night meetups: http://munno.net/battletech/

Mechromancer, ABetterWay (and everyone else) 

There are no Dave and Buster location with the Virtual World BattleTech Simulator pods.  All of those pods left D&Bs back in 2005. We missed the option for the ones in the Houston location, but were lucky enough to purchase the ones from Cincinnati, Ohio D&B.  (and yes we are the ones listed in the Wikipedia article listed above)  We then purchased 4 more pods and have 12 pods ready to rumble 7 days a week.

We are the only retail location in Texas, so if you're in Houston (or planning to be in Houston), Give us a shout on our website (http://www.mechcorps.com) and make sure when we're having our weekly get-togethers. All-you-can-pilot for one low price!  Check the website for details.

On another note... if you're not in Houston, keep an eye out on our website and your local Sci-Fi, Gaming, and/or Anime convention because we take our pods ON THE ROAD!   ;D

Hope to see you there,

"Muerte"

That's fookin' amazing!  :o

You bastards!  No wonder I didn't see one there when I went to D&B in Cincinatti last year  >:(

DOH!   I can't believe I passed up trying this thing!  I actually heard about this and was in the Katy area visiting my parents and my mom suggested some place called track 21 and they said they had mechwarrior stuff.  I figured it would just be some cheesy setup and nothing that impressive so I didn't bother.  Now I find out that it was this!?  darn...  well, my parents still live in Katy so I might not be out of luck just yet.

Sorry, but they were not going to be at D&B last year even if we didn't buy them!  :)

There are however many other places around the US that have them.  Check with this list (http://www.mechcorps.com/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Web_Links&file=index&req=viewlink&cid=1) to find a location near you.

NEVER underestimate the power and knowledge of MOM.  ;)

Don't worry, we'll be here waiting.

You guys are lucky, we've never had ANYTHING like that up here in Canada. I just had to make due with putting a motorcycle helmet on and pretending :D :D

Not that this isn't cool, but it's not geared towards the end user. There is licensing involved and you can't exactly go out and buy one of those pods without a lot of work. I'd much prefer a home built simpit that interfaces something like MWLL. It wouldn't be hard to do it if the back end was put into the game to read data from and interface i/o cards. Aircraft simulator hardware is all that is needed to do this with. It's all COTS stuff. I have the knowledge to do a mech simpit right now. There aren't any good MECH pc games out that are current generation graphics yet for me to interface such a project with though.

They do this stuff all the time with aircraft and racing sims. For example:

www.mycockpit.org
www.viperpits.org

What keeps MWLL from having the ability to read data from the client and push it to third party apps and i/o like in aircraft sims? If you add it I'll use it.  ;D

Time? Code Monkey has no shortage of work.

True enough. Is it an idea that is plausible in the future though, or is it outright implausiable within any timeframe? I'd be willing to work closely with the devs to make sure everything works. Just throwing that out as an option to be pondered in the distant future when there might be time to review the possability.  ;)

BTW, here's a pic of the current simpit I'm working on.  ;D

(http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3991/dscf2290smallyp2yo0.th.jpg) (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf2290smallyp2yo0.jpg)

It is theoretically plausible I suppose (inter process communication?), though I imagine it won't really be considered until the game is fully working. That or one of the code monkeys decides to set up one of these cockpit like things.  :P

All the simpit builders would need to see is the streaming mech state data. They can work from there to do the stuff like switches, custom USB i/o, touch screen interfacing via regular keymapping and joystick i/o. There are already the third party hardware and software interfacing SDKs out for that stuff. Some of the simpit guys could just program a utility to do the footwork between the client and the hardware. I know there would be a definite interest in the simpit community for this type of client capability. A lot of the simpit builders are into military fighter simpits. Not too far of a logical jump between fighter simpit and mech simpit. Wouldn't be surprised if people wouldn't just interface thier fighter simpits to play. ;D

I swear I remeber playing around in some sim pods, not battletech, but something, up at Ontario Place when I lived up there.

I played in one a few time while I was up in Milpitas, CA for a convention I was speaking at several years back.  It was a blast and we had enough dudes for a decent battle.

I have found an arcade at the Gold Coast that has some Tesla pods, they are trying to unload them. They say the licensing costs too much and that the technicians don't know anything about apple macs and can't fix them.

I'm going to ask how much they might be willing to sell one to me for, perhaps I might buy one if it isn't too expensive.

About this licensing that BHawthorne mentioned. Are you saying I can't go and buy a machine and play BattleTech: Firestorm or Red Planet at home for free ???

do tell?

As far as the tesla pods, no Macs involved unless it still has the version 4.x software...  then it's not BattleTech:Firestorm.

Ownership of the pods does not include ownership of the software...  sorry.

If you buy just one pod, you'll have to contact one of the sites that use our SiteLink technology in order to play live players online.  There is no "server" that hosts games and the 4.x software does not include AI opponents.  You'll need to buy a "console" with a pod inorder to launch a game  and at that point with one pod in 4.x, you're the only player...

So, buy the set or get a group to buy the set and stage them in different locations and network them via siteLink.  Contact me of you want more info.

Some more information:
The pods look quite old and run down. They mentioned that the systems DO have macs in them, so they are an old version or something.
All they have said to me about the game was- "the game they used to play was called battletech or mech warrior".
I'm going to go see them in a week or so perhaps. I'll have another look and ask some more questions.

None of the pods are actually running at the arcade, all are off and shoved in a corner. 

I wonder if I could mod the system to work with my pc in some way. (MWLL+ Tesla Pod?) I have very limited electronics skill though, I  doubt I could do anything with a machine... I suppose I can learn.

Any information you can provide would be hugely appreciated

Sounds like it's still the 4.x Tesla version. Rare find you have there, even if they are run down!

Rare maybe, but is that a good thing? Is this version any good? What makes it different compared to others?

Rare:
1. Hard to find replacement parts for.
2. Another reason for a higher price.
3. Wasn't produced much due to being a bad design.
4. Hard to get help from other owners due to little knowledge of this design.

Please don't tell me I'm right  :-\

No, you're right. However, the best place to ask about this system would be: http://www.virtualworld.net

They have several experienced 3.0 and 4.x system owners there and is a much better resource for that kind of thing!
Also, the systems were designed well.. however it's ancient hardware at this point. Upgrading it if they are the Apple systems will be near impossible. There might possibly be a conversion somewhere to run newer 4.x or Tesla II hardware.. Honestly, if you are not experienced with electronics hardware, I wouldn't even bother touching them. Instead I'd let PropWash know that these systems are available and if you can get some prices so that they might go to a good home and get some restoration!

first off, are these round pods or square pods???  one look at the exterior will tell that answer.

second, neither of them had Macs IN the pods, a mac was only used as the console to launch the missions for the pods.  If the pods are square... they "may" be Amiga computers running the pods. (most people have no idea what they look like at first sight.)  At that point... harder to find parts for computer and pod controls.

third, the pods always looked old and run down.  They were "weathered" with paint when they were new.  But... if you see stuff that looks broken off, then it really is broken off.  they were weathered and dirty looking, but never looked like they were "broken".  (unfortunately if they were just stored in a corner, they really MAY be dirty.  ;)

For the best information on the tech of the older pods, check in with www.virtualworld.com the makers of these pods. Your computer may run software other than what came with the pods, but the software is not configured to run the dual screen and digital readouts square pods) or the two main screens and 5 MFD screens (round pods) and all of the associated buttons and controls that are exclusive to the VWE pods. So at best, without doing some major rewiring, all you "might" get is the main screen to work and a lot of dead instruments in a really cool desk if you don't run the intended software.

To run MWLL and to ahve everything functional in the pod(s), there would have to be a (probably substantial) rewrite to make it work with all of the MFDs and buttons in either pod. (although, if someone on the MWLL dev team would like to discuss that possibility, I'm sure we would be MORE than willing to share ideas.  ;D ;D ;D  )

Both are good versions, just like Doom is fun to play every now and then to remind us of the old times.

Rare:
1. depends on round or square versions.  Round pod electronic parts are easily found with exception of two major ones.  External Plasma display and internal RIO board (translator board between CPU and controls)
2. supply and demand.  Play the second one for a lower price.  They probably need the space more than storing them. But they'll probably want to sell ALL of it rather than only one.
3. not bad design...  the rarity here is because it was  MAJOR investment to get sets new.  Think on the price level of a New Mercedes sports car at the time.  Not everyone can pop for one of those when new, only businesses.  XBoxes are cheaper which is why you see much more of them around...  but you can't sit in an xbox with 7 displays plus all the controls, etc...
4. You don't know *US* very well, now do you?  :D

There are owners who are VERY willing to help with advice and possibly parts...  at least to make them run as originally intended and we are looking into way to run other games with all of the controls operational.

Feel free to talk with the guys at VirtualWorld.com or on our site MechCorps.com if this thread is not appropriate on MWLL's site.

It's appropriate, just not nearly as well informed or in the know as the stated one.. :)

It would probably require a pretty big rewrite of code. You most definitely wouldn't be able to play it the way the stock game works! xcav8r, you listening here? :D

Ok, first off these are round pods. The arcade has 4-6 of them (I can't see into a storage area properly because of a fence, but there are some (4?) pods out the front that I can see).

The condition is hard to tell as the corner they are in is quite dim.
They shouldn't cost too much, as they are trying to unload them

This is part of an email they've sent me:
"The issues with machines are varied but basically the reasons for us to not continue with them are as follows.
a) The licence to use the current Virtual World systems software is too excessive to consider this option
b) The technical requirements to maintain the current system is not in our technicians ability (They're not familiar with apple mac systems)
c) The size of the machines takes up too much room for the revenue that it earns...compared to other machines we could use there.
d) We are struggling to find the parts that we need to keep them operational for the "day in day out" use they receive."

"They as yet have not been completely sold, but we have two other people wanting to make purchases also."  :-\

I am going to get more information when I go see them, They are fairly far away and going there is not something you would do spontaneously.

This seems like too much for me  :( I have very limited electronics skill, I fear all I'll end up with is "a lot of dead instruments in a really cool desk".  I'll email virtual world and ask about that software you mentioned.

The very first pods used a front in run by Macs. The game was run by multiple video cards tied in together. had a friend that worked at d+B in Atlanta and his job was to fix them when broken.. The Tesla 2 ,project firestorm pods run off of a dell system.

If your in South Carolina and got 10,000 these 4 could be yours.

Picture here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/NickolasRSmith/SCPods#
This info off of the Mektek Site.

Four Tesla II cockpits in Charlseston, South Carolina For Sale       Print        E-mail
Written by Solarmech   
Thursday, 28 August 2008
PropWash let us know:

Four as is, where is. You tear 'em down, load 'em, and ship them.
Two of the four need minor power supply and PC work, all 4 in good physical condition.
Includes consoles, camera ship, and everything you need to operate them

$10,000.00